Isn't Your Computer Supposed to Work for You?

Isn't Your Computer Supposed to Work for You?

How many times have you wondered how to do a particular task on your computer but didn't know how? How about things like create a new folder or copy and paste some text into notepad? These are simple but often a lost skill with more than half of the computer users on and off line. If you are missing these and other computer training then these few tips may be of some help.

Computer Tip #1.

When a new Windows error message appears on your screen it seems that some people will simply ignore it and click "OK". This is an example of what NOT TO DO! Instead you should realize that the programmers did not spend the time creating that message for the fun of it. Instead at a minimum you should READ EVERY WORD! Then read it again slowly the second time so it sinks in. Once you read it you may recognize the program that is causing it and be able to solve the problem yourself.

Don't be afraid to research the error on any good search engine online. You may find free advice quickly although in most cases you may have to dig a bit to find it. As a last resort try making a call to a local computer tech that may just let you know how to solve it for free if it is not a serious issue. However if it is serious or mildly serious by all means ask for a qualified tech to come out and fix it.

Computer Tip #2.

Have you ever downloaded a piece of software from the internet and couldn't find it later? It happens to thousands of people all over the world every day! An easy way to find it later is to first prepare a landing zone or a place where you know you can always find it.

Some people use the My Documents of Windows but after downloading many files you may find it hard to find the latest file. One simple fix is to create a new folder on your desktop. The definition of your desktop is where you see icons of folder; files and you're able to see your favorite picture as the wallpaper for your desktop.

To create the new folder is easy. First find an un-crowded portion of your desktop and then using your ring finger click the right mouse button to bring up the context menu for the desktop. There in the menu you will find a selection called "New" Then Click on "Folder".

This will create a new folder on your desktop. You can name it something that will help you find the downloaded files. The first time you create a new folder, you will notice that the folder naming text is highlighted. To rename the folder to something more to your liking simply start typing and the highlighted text will be replaced with what you wish to type in. A good folder name would be downloads or my new files or even the month and year which will make it much easier to find those files in the future.

Now once the folder is created simply remember when you download the next file to save it in that folder on your desktop for easy and fast access.

Computer Tip #3.

Copy and paste is one task that every computer user will find they are using many times per session for many useful tasks. Say you wish to copy a portion of text into a file in which you are creating a report or project, even an article or your website content? This too is a simple skill to learn with a little practice you will be an ace at it and wonder how you ever got along without it. To copy something you must first highlight it using your left mouse button with your index finger.

You will want to start at the beginning point of the text you wish to copy and place your mouse cursor then by clicking your left mouse button. Now when you do this DO NOT let go of the mouse button which you are holding with your index finger and while holding that mouse button down simply move your mouse over the text until you reach your stop point then let go of your index finger.

Now simply move your mouse into the center of the highlighted text and then using your ring finger to press the right mouse button. This will bring up a menu with the copy selection. Use your index finger, otherwise called the left mouse button; click on "COPY" from the menu that comes up. You have now successfully copied the text and are ready to paste it into your project or a new notepad text file.

Place your mouse cursor in the blank notepad or project and then using your ring finger press the right mouse button to bring up the menu. From the menu select "Paste". If you successfully completed the copy process your text should appear in the new text file or your current project. If not go back and try again. With practice you will find it becomes second nature to you and your speed will increase as you use it more and more.

Computer Tip #4.

Remember that you can look up most common Windows commands if you press the F1 key on your keyboard. This will bring up the help file for Windows allowing you to quickly search or browse for the answer or information you are seeking for almost everything you might want to do in windows as well as Windows programs.

Keep in mind that most all of the applications created for your Windows operating system have the same basic commands available from the menu system. Some variants may exist depending on the purpose of the software application but the basics are usually there.

If all else fails the next steps would be to either call a computer friend or a genuine computer repair tech. In most cases the cost of hiring a professional is affordable even time saving if you decide you are not comfortable and do not wish to do it yourself. Another possibility is a community college or even a high school student may be able to help you. You can also check your local ROP services in your area for free classes.

Mastering these tips will help you become more comfortable when using or working on your or most computers running the Windows operating system.

Good luck and stay tuned for more computer tips coming you way soon!

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Invest Wisely When Buying a Laptop

Invest Wisely When Buying a Laptop

Have you priced a laptop computer lately? Buying a new laptop is a big investment; and just how big of an investment you want to make is entirely up to you. Look in your Sunday newspaper flyers to see countless models on sale each week. Initially selections were made by looking at the specifications and the general appearance. However that’s not the sole criteria any longer. Everyday more and more people are now stepping inside the mobile world. With so many models of laptops now available, how can you be sure about the choice you make? Below are several factors you should consider: CPU (Central Processing Unit), Video Card, hard disk, noise, battery life and RAM (Random Access Memory).

CPU is the main component which determines the performance of your computer and also the heating and the battery life. There is a trade-off between the CPU performance and the battery-life and power consumption (heating). If you want a laptop which would replace a desktop and if you are not planning to travel with it a lot then there are several different offers with desktop CPUs integrated in the laptop main board (such as a P4).

If you are fond of mobility and are going to use your new laptop for your business purposes or school, then you should consider buying a laptop with more suitable CPUs. AMD Athlon can be a solution: Athlon processors are designed for users who are looking for economical solutions, both purchase and usage. Older models of Athlon are no where near Intel Pentium products from the point of performance, and yet new models like 2800+ are potent enough to compete with P4 2.8 GHz.

There is one more model of CPU that many of the customers prefer: Centrino. Centrino is the new attempt of Intel to balance the tradeoff between the performance and mobility issues. With the 2 MB second level cash, the Pentium CPU is modified for the laptop which eases the burden of the CPU and implicitly pulls down the levels of heating and power consumption.

RAM and the graphic card are also two important factors for the quality of the laptop. There are two kinds of RAM on the market: SD RAM and DD RAM. In any case, there is no tradeoff, no comparison: DD RAM is better, and yet, you still have to be careful about the clock specification of the RAM. If you buy a RAM with 333 MHz clock speed, you will see the performance improvement it supplies to the whole system. Another thing to consider is that some computers have 512 MB RAM with two slots (256 x 2) which is not very good for the new laptop you are going to buy. Overall, if you want a good laptop, you should consider one equipped with a 333 MHz, 512 MB, DD RAM.

There are various video cards on the market today. The first thing you should check is the “ON-Board” specification in the video card. These cards are integrated into the main board and generally use your main RAM as for the video memory. If you are going to use your laptop for general purposes, not for gaming or 3-D design which would require 3D hardware acceleration, these laptops with onboard video card are for you. However, if you are a professional Counter Strike player, you would be disappointed with the screen delays and freezes.

The last technical detail is the hard disk. While buying a hard disk there is a detail which is much more important then the capacity: RPM. Rotation Per Minute determines how fast the data transfer rate is to the CPU to be processed so this specification also plays a huge role while dealing with multimedia stuff.

So if you’re in the market for a new laptop computer, one suggestion is to consider buying a Centrino laptop with an onboard video card with a big RAM if you are planning to use it for school or business purposes and also randomly for movies and music. Nevertheless, Pentium computers with AGP or PCI Express video off-board video cards would give you the performance of a desktop if you don’t mind the weight, noise and the heating of the laptop.

With so many decisions to make, take your time; do your homework and invest wisely.

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How to Use Windows XP "System Restore"

How to Use Windows XP "System Restore"

Well, we all have been there. We turn on our computer (boot up) getting ready to type that school report, or business presentation and guess what, our computer just does not want to work today. Whether it's the word processor, spreadsheet, or financial package that isn't working, most people do not know that Microsoft Windows XP has a built in feature that just may come and save the day. That feature is called "System Restore."

Basically, System Restore is like a little hound that runs behind the scenes taking "snapshots" of various parts of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. So, if a part of Microsoft Windows XP stops working one day, the System Restore utility is able to reference one of the "snapshots" it took and restore your system from a previous day (a day when your computer worked). It's kind of like going back in time to a day when your computer worked. All your current data (Microsoft Word files, etc.) are still retained, so you don't have to worry about losing any present day files.

In order to restore your computer just follow these simple steps:

1. Close any open programs.
2. Click on the Windows "Start" button (normally located on the bottom of your computer desktop)
3. Click on "All Programs"
4. Click on "Accessories"
5. Click on "System Tools"
6. Then click on "System Restore"
7. At this point the System Restore wizard will launch. You will have two options:

a. "Restore my system from an earlier date"
b. "Create a system restore point"

If you just need to restore your system and get it working correctly again, just select option "a" and click "Next."

8. On this screen you can select a date from the calendar that you would like to try and restore from. So, if you knew that your computer worked fine two days ago, just pick that date on the calendar and click "Next."
9. The next screen is the confirmation window. Just verify the information on the screen and click "Next." Windows XP will then reboot and try to restore your system with the settings from the date you selected.

The System Restore process can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes depending on how much reconfiguration Windows XP needs to do and how fast of a PC you have. When System Restore is done, a screen will popup with the results of the restore. If it was successful, you can then log into the system and start using the computer again. Any quirky issues that you were having are now hopefully gone.

Now, on step 7b above, I mentioned the "Create a system restore point" option. This option is for when you want to force Windows XP to take a snapshot of your system just before you install a program or alter any system settings that you are not sure of. It is like a safety net for when you install any internet programs (sometimes riddled with spyware) or system drivers (video, audio, etc). If you want to revert back to a virgin state just create a restore point "before" installing any software. This way, if your machine starts acting weird, you can just restore your settings from the selected point.

With a little practice, the System Restore utility is easy to use and a great way to help ensure the safety of your computer.

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How to Protect Your PC from Computer Viruses

How to Protect Your PC from Computer Viruses

In today's world a computer is pretty much a necessity. Most of us at the very least will use them regularly for simple word processing tasks, sending and receiving emails and browsing the Internet.

Unfortunately with this popularity has come an increasing risk from hackers and other people of malicious intent. It seems that not a day goes by without a news item about some new computer virus, trojan or worm intent on wreaking havoc with your computer's hard drive.

The threat posed by computer viruses should not be taken lightly. They come in many different forms depending on what their creators have designed them to do. This could be feeding back to the hacker information held on your computer; slowing it down and making it unstable, or even deleting files from it.

Computer virus programmers will usually disguise their wares as the type of common file that you're used to using everyday e.g. an mp3 music file, or they'll send an executable program file as an email attachment that gets activated as soon as you open the email.

A lot of the protection you can give yourself from these nasty pieces of code comes down to commonsense. Don't open emails if you don't recognize and trust the sender. Make sure the security settings on your Web browser are set to 'high'. Try to stay away from the 'shadier' areas of the Internet. Don't use peer-to-peer file-sharing programs.

Make sure that you have up-to-date versions of the two must-have pieces of software on your computer and that they are activated at all times. What are the must-have pieces of software that everyone should have installed on their computer? An Antivirus program and a Firewall.

There was a time when you could probably have gotten away with just an Antivirus program but, especially with the advent of always-on Internet connections in this era of high-speed Internet access, this is no longer enough. You really must invest in a good Firewall program as well.

Because new computer viruses are being invented virtually every day you should invest in an Antivirus program that checks for updates automatically every time you access the Internet. Most of the top ones will do this as a matter of course.

Remember, this is definitely one area where prevention is much better than cure. Don't leave your computer vulnerable to attack. If you don't already have a reputable Antivirus program and Firewall installed on your PC, make yourself a promise to sort out that omission today - the potential consequences of not doing so don't bear thinking about.

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How a Computer Operates

How a Computer Operates

The average person who uses a computer on a regular basis doesn't think about what happens inside a computer once the power is turned on. As long as their version of MS Windows pops up within a few seconds, most people are quite content to continue on with what they want to do on their computer. A computer goes through many processes from the moment the power is turned on before its operating system (ex. Windows, Linux) is fully loaded and takes over.

The operating system is stored on the hard disk of a computer. It is stored on the hard disk because this type of storage is much less expensive and an operating system requires a large amount of storage space. So, in order to make computers more economical, they are designed to use a combination of ROM, DRAM, and hard disks. An explanation of each follows.

Once the power switch is turned on, the "boot-up" process begins. To "boot-up" a computer simply means to start it. Electricity then flows through all of the chips and their circuits. The instructions for what the computer is supposed to do next are found in the Read Only Memory, Basic Input/Output System (ROM BIOS). ROM is memory that can only be read from and has information that is permanently burned into it. It is nonvolatile and will not be lost or disappear once the power is turned off.

ROM BIOS or just BIOS, is designed to begin giving commands as soon as it receives power. The BIOS contains an entire set of instructions, in effect a computer program written into the chip that manages the boot-up process. Without the BIOS, the computer would not know what to do next. The first task that BIOS completes is to make sure that all of the hardware components are working properly (for example: disk drives, external buses, the mouse, the printer). This is called a power-on self-test (POST). After the POST is complete, the BIOS activates other chips on different cards installed in the computer (SCSI and graphics cards) and provides a set of low-level routines that the operating system uses to interface to different hardware devices such as the keyboard, mouse, printer, etc.

Once the POST is complete, the BIOS hands the next stage in the boot-up process over to the central processing unit (CPU). The CPU is a one chip processor or microprocessor that has two distinct capabilities:

1. The CPU carries out all of the mathematical and logical operations including basic math and comparisons of two or more numbers.

2. The CPU has the ability to intelligently manage the flow of instructions and data going into and out of its circuits.

The last instruction that the ROM sends to the CPU is to go to a specific location or address to find its next instruction. An address is a string of numbers that gives directions to where something can be found, much like an address on an envelope. Computers use addresses to keep track of information much the same way as the post office uses them to find residences and businesses. The bigger the number in an address the more locations it can refer to. Most current computers use a 32-bit address space for memory, which means that there can be over four billion separate locations to hold information.

The instruction that the ROM BIOS wants the CPU to carry out is sent through a chip on a bus (a set of wires) to the address specified. The data bus is able to carry information into and out of the chip within the CPU. The information is not available within the CPU so it has to look elsewhere. The CPU then sends the address on another bus called an address bus. When the CPU does this, it is called a fetch. The address bus is "fetching" information from elsewhere within the computer. The address bus is only able to carry instructions out of the CPU.

The address bus fetches information from the computer's memory. Memory is a type of silicon chip that can hold instructions or data. This type of memory can be read from or written to by the CPU, but this type of memory or Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) is volatile. Once the power is turned off, the DRAM looses its memory or information. Since the DRAM is basically a blank slate, the CPU has within, a set of sequential instructions as to where to look for the required information.

Before the address bus can get to memory, it has to pass through a set of chips called a chipset. The chipset refers to a group of chips that provide an intelligent interface for the core components of a computer - CPU, memory, graphics, I/O system, described as core logic or glue logic. If the information that the chipset requires is not in memory, the chipset then sends or redirects it to the Input/Output (I/O) bus. The I/O bus connects the chipset to other places where the information is stored, such as the hard disk. The hard disk allows the CPU to read from it and to write to it. The hard disk is non-volatile so it retains its data or information once the power is turned off. A hard disk is much slower at retrieving data from than memory but memory is much more expensive.

Once the hard disk receives the address (via the I/O bus and chipset), it retrieves the information and sends it back through the chipset and then puts it on the address bus back into the CPU. The chipset functions as a bridge for the two buses; the I/O bus and the address bus.

The CPU uses a four step sequence: fetch, decode, execute, and store. Since the CPU does not retain its memory, it has to obtain its information or fetch the information from elsewhere within the computer. To help with the speed of the process of fetching, the CPU has a pre-fetch area to make the information available more quickly.

Once the information has been fetched, it has to be decoded. Part of the decoding process of the CPU is to decide which circuits are appropriate to use for executing the instructions. Once that decision has been made, the CPU begins to execute the instructions. The part of the CPU where the actual execution of instructions takes place is called the Arithmetic Logical Unit (ALU). The ALU includes groups of transistors, known as logic gates, which are organized to carry out basic mathematical and logical operations. Logic gates are grouped into electrical circuits that execute the CPU's instructions such as "add" two numbers or "compare" two numbers.

The final step of the CPU is to store the information. This final step takes place after the ALU completes its calculations. The results of the calculations are stored on a chip that has an area called a register. Registers can be accessed more quickly than any other kind of memory but are only for temporary holding (storage) of information.

The CPU also has a clock within it to keep the timing of all of the flow of information and processes of the computer. This clock is vital to the synchronization of all of the processes of the computer. This CPU clock controls all of the operations on its chip. The processes of the CPU can also be interrupted by an external interrupt controller chip which is part of the chipset. The chipset contains a small database of interrupt vector (numerical table). When an interrupt signal comes onto the chip, the CPU saves what it is doing and goes to the interrupt vector to find the address of the instruction that the interrupt is telling it to execute instead. Once it is finished with the interrupt, it goes back to what it was doing. The CPU finds what it was doing in a register called a stack. If interrupts were not possible, the CPU would have to complete one task before it could start another causing the speed to be greatly reduced.

Now that the CPU has found the operating system, loaded it into memory, the operating system takes over and the computer is now ready to be used by its owner. The user can now check email, play a game, or do whatever they wanted to do when they started the computer.

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Getting Started with Photoshop, A Beginners Guide

Getting Started with Photoshop, A Beginners Guide

Adobe™ Photoshop is arguably the finest image management software available anywhere, and the price reflects its value. When you begin using Photoshop, you will doubtless find the many options overwhelming in their number and scope. You may be tempted to 'x' right out of the program and go grab a frosty beverage, but wait. There's a lot of fun and power at your fingertips, and you'll want to go through each option and tool one at a time, to learn exactly how you can manage, modify and create images you'd never have believed possible.

This introduction will acquaint you with the BASIC functions of the application, and there will be many more articles in this series, so collect them all, and when you're finished, you'll have a complete guide you can refer to often until it all becomes second nature. We'll use Photoshop v5.5 as the reference release, because many of the current users are using Photoshop CS which does so much of the fun stuff automatically, this hardly has any value in that release.

Well, let's begin by opening the application. Once you have Photoshop open and running, you'll notice that on the left is a tall, skinny toolbox with many icons which represent graphically the function(s) they perform. That's right; many of the tools have multiple functions (just to make things more interesting.)

On the Right hand side of the window you'll see a 'stack' of palettes which allow you to control the characteristics of the TOOL you've selected in the Toolbox.

Click on 'FILE' and select 'NEW' from the drop down menu. When you do, another option box appears with the word 'NEW' in the title bar. Below that, you'll find option boxes where you can enter the parameters that define your new image workspace.

Place your mouse cursor in the NAME space and create a filename of your choice. "TESTPIC" might be a good choice, but that's up to you.

Next, TAB into the WIDTH option box and type 5, tab to the width UNITS option and click the "DOWN" arrow. A drop-down option box appears with several unit options available. Select 'INCHES'.

Tab to the HEIGHT option box and type 7, tab over and be sure 'INCHES' is selected there as well.

Accept the default RESOLUTION (which should read 72 pixels per inch), and leave the MODE and CONTENTS defaults at RGB and WHITE (background).

Click on OK and an empty, WHITE rectangle will appear in the workspace. It represents a 5x7 inch picture. So let's create a basic picture in the space. At the same time, you'll see that a horizontal panel has opened up in each of TWO of the palettes at the RIGHT side of your screen. One is the HISTORY TAB. It has a small rectangle with the title you gave your work.

Below that is a BLUE bar with the word NEW. The HISTORY palette records EVERYTHING you do to your picture. Really handy if you want to change something immediately or dump a whole BUNCH of changes all at once.

We're going to make a new LAYER to do our work on. What we've created so far is just a White rectangle which is the background for our picture. The LAYER is where we're going to do our work, and incidentally the LAYERS in Photoshop are the things that really give your Photoshop images their flexibility and power.

It's best to start out by de-mystifying the idea of LAYERS right up front, so here's the straight information. Imagine each LAYER as a clear piece of acetate that you can draw on and a collection of LAYERS as a stack of acetate sheets each with a different part of the picture drawn on it.

Beneath the HISTORY palette is the LAYERS/CHANNELS/PATHS palette. The LAYERS palette has a blue horizontal rectangle titled 'BACKGROUND'. That's your empty picture frame.

At the bottom of the palette are three symbols. A square with a circle in it, a page like icon with the bottom left corner folded up, and a TRASH can icon. (You can guess what it's for). The page like icon is the 'NEW LAYER' icon. Allow the mouse pointer to hover over the icon and its function will 'pop up' in a little information window. Click the icon and a NEW layer called 'LAYER 1' appears above the 'Background' layer. It is BLUE because it is the ACTIVE layer. The one you'll be working on. There's a checkerboard pattern in the page area because nothing is on that new layer yet.

The BRUSH symbol means that the layer is ready to receive data, and the eyeball symbol simply means that the layer is VISIBLE.

That's right. You can have invisible layers. Why? You'll see in just a few minutes, but you've probably already guessed.

You're ready to start using TOOLS.

In the TOOL palette (at the left side of the workspace) there are 2 columns of 10 icons, a pair of overlapping squares which represent the foreground and background colors, two screen mode icons, of which the left one is 'depressed' or 'selected' by default, three 'screen mode' selection buttons and at the very bottom is a 'jump to external application' button, which you'll only use infrequently, if at all.

Select the TOP LEFT TOOL with your mouse. Left Click and HOLD the button down. A 'FLYOUT' menu appears which offers several options. That particular tool is called the 'SELECTION TOOL' and it has several modes. Let's use the RECTANGULAR selection mode first. Click the tool, be sure the rectangular dotted line icon is visible on the button after you release the mouse button, and then click and DRAG from the upper left to the lower right in your picture area, starting about 1 inch from the top and 1 inch from the left side, ending up about 1 inch from the bottom and 1 inch from the right side.

NOW. Click the little black and white squares below the backqround/foreground colors palette (near the bottom of the tool box) and you'll see the two squares change color. The top left square is BLACK and the bottom right square is WHITE. These are the DEFAULT colors for the foreground (top left square since it's on top) and background (bottom right square, since it's on the bottom).

Right above the color display is a hand icon, and just above THAT is a PAINTBUCKET icon.

Click the paint bucket icon to select it. It's also called the FILL TOOL.

Move your mouse cursor into the area bounded by the rectangular selection you made a minute ago. Click the mouse anywhere inside the selected area. It immediately fills with the foreground color (in this case, BLACK).

Now you will learn why layers can become invisible. Click the little 'eyeball' icon beside the image of your picture in the 'LAYER' palette.

Your black rectangle disappears (becomes invisible) revealing the contents of the layer beneath it (in this case, the original white background).

This is a lot of information to absorb in one sitting. It's a lot easier to do if you do it with someone else reading the instructions to you, but you CAN learn Photoshop one tool at a time, by reading one STEP at a time and learning the principles in related groups of operations.

That's what this series of articles will assist you in doing. There will be another article ready to release soon, so check back often, as the steps build on one another, and you don't want to miss anything. Keep Photoshop warm. It's a great application and you'll enjoy it immensely.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Disk Defragmentation

Frequently Asked Questions about Disk Defragmentation

Much like an automobile, a computer needs a little bit of maintenance every so often to keep it running smoothly. One of the most overlooked of these tasks is defragmenting the hard drive. Here are some frequently asked questions regarding defragmentation.

What Is File Fragmentation?
Think of your computer's hard disk drive as a large warehouse for your data. Every bin in the warehouse represents a file, and the boxes filling the bin represent the bytes of data that make up the file.

In order to ensure fast access to your bins, you want to keep the bins at the front of the warehouse full, so they can be pulled from as quickly as possible. Let's say, however, that when you get a new shipment of product, you completely fill up the bin, have more boxes of product to store, and the bins next to it are full as well. In most warehouses, the extra product is moved to the back of the warehouse and a note left in the original bin as to where the overstock is stored.

Your computer works in much the same way. Space is allocated on the hard drive to keep each file. To keep your computer running smoothly, files are often stored right next to each other in the first available space. However, if you go back and add a few pages to that story you were writing, the computer doesn't see any space on the hard drive to store the new data. Therefore, it moves the new data into the next available spot on the hard drive and leaves itself a "note" of sorts as to where the rest of your file is. This splitting of the file into separate pieces is known as "file fragmentation".

Why Do I Need to Defragment My Hard Drive?
As more and more files get more and more fragmented, it takes the computer longer to access these files, whether you're opening, editing, or even deleting them. If we revisit our warehouse analogy, when someone purchases the entire stock of a product, the warehouse employees may have to visit 3-4 different bins to fill the order. This same exact thing is happening on your hard drive.

What Does Defragmenting My Hard Drive Do?
The disk defragmentation process takes all the pieces of a file and puts them back together in one single spot on the hard drive. Additionally, your file is moved toward the front of the drive so that it can be accessed faster.

How Often Do I Need to Defragment My Hard Drive?
This is going to depend on how you use your computer. If you access a lot of large files on a frequent basis, chances are your files will fragment more quickly than someone who only checks his e-mail a few times a week. Generally speaking, the average home user should defragment his or her hard drive 4-6 times per year (which is every 2-3 months).

How Do I Defragment My Hard Drive?
Your operating system should have a built-in utility for performing this task. Check your manual, help files, or favorite search engine for the full procedure. Although the process can take a long time, depending on the size of your files and how many files are fragmented, starting the process is usually straightforward.

If it's been a while since you last defragmented your hard drive, you should notice your computer running much faster and more stably than it was before.

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Freebies -- Good Deal or a Waste of Time?

Freebies -- Good Deal or a Waste of Time?

There are a great number of "free" things available on the Internet. Some of the offers are real and some aren't. There are legitimate reasons for free offers. Sellers give away free samples, for instance. That's why there are wine-tasting rooms, test-drives for cars and the opportunity to try on shoes before you buy them! Sellers want you to buy their products and are willing to let you try them out to some extent to convince you to buy. And so there are promotions of various types out there, which can be a good deal for the participants. But tread carefully! There ARE nuggets to be found, but all that glitters is not necessarily gold!

For example, a search on "free antivirus" at www.dogpile.com, yields 100+ hits. They run the usual spectrum of most free offers, from genuine giveaways to outright "sucker traps" that just want your address so they can drown you in spam! They can be categorized as 1.Genuine, 2.Free but donation requested, 3.Time Based, 4.Free but paid for by others, 5.Free Sample, 6.Marketing key word tricks and 7.Bait and Switch address thieves. Let's look at each of these categories.

1. Genuine. For anti-virus software there are some programs out there that are really free, just for the downloading. Some perform very well against the well-known annual-fee offerings, even beating them in various ways.

They give good advice, "...when picking out your antivirus solution...first of all you want to make sure you get an antivirus program from a trusted source. Doing a little research on the internet (websites like this) will help you identify who the trusted providers of antivirus software are. Always find multiple sources of information, that way you are more than likely to find a software product you can get help with and that won't be filled with spyware and adware."

2. Free but donation requested. These are free, but they ask you to make voluntary donations. Also in this category are those that offer a limited capacity version, such as do Note Tab (text manager) and Zone Alarm (firewalls) for free, then try to get you to upgrade to the paid version. These are legitimate marketing ploys, and maybe the free version will be all you really need.

3. Time Based. Free to try for 30 days, $30.00 if you decide to keep it! Not unreasonable. Like a test drive. Many software products use this approach. Some will just not work after the trial period; others will periodically degrade their capacities, encouraging you to buy. For example, www.goodsol.com has a solitaire program that starts degrading after 30 days. After 60 days or so they shut down the take-back-the-last-move feature! Maybe by that time you are addicted to the game and go ahead and buy the full-capacity version. Or maybe you just play VERY carefully!

4. Free but paid for by others. Paid by advertising (like yahoo mail and hotmail) is legit. Like commercials on free TV. Somebody's got to pay the cost of providing the service! Spyware and adware are not O.K. Their purpose is to track your Internet movements for marketing survey purposes or deliver pop-up ads to you at random unexpected times. If you download any program of which you are at all suspicious, run your anti-spyware program(s) after using them.

Spyware and adware must "call home" to report and get new ads, so you should severely restrict which of your programs you allow to access the Internet.

5. Free Sample. Fair enough if it is legit, but remember the fisherman offers the fish free worms! In anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, many vendors offer a free online checkout of your system to see if it has viruses or spyware on it. Most are honest. Some will "plant" a few of what they are supposed to protect you against, and then "find" them, to great fanfare, just to prove that THEY are finding things that your current program can't!

6. Marketing key word tricks. The word "Free" sells! Marketers know this and put the word "Free" in their headings and where search engines will look. So when you search on "free anti-virus download" a marketer's "Download a free scan" offer will match on two words, free and download. The majority of hits on your search will probably be from this type of word trick site.

7. Bait and Switch address thieves. The Internet is cracking down on spam. Pushy salesmen are getting desperate for email addresses to which they can "legitimately" mail offers. To get addresses they offer all sorts of outrageous (and some almost reasonable) free offers. "Congratulations you have just won a Sony laptop computer!", followed by a request for your home and email address so they can send it to you (sounds reasonable enough, to get your Sony laptop). This is followed by requests to answer a "survey", then questions about your interests, occupation, etc. etc. What is really happening is that they are getting a profile of you to help them sell your address to their customers! Finally, it turns out that to "finish qualifying" for your gift, you have to buy something, then something else, etc. The free laptop (the bait) has been switched to being required to buy junk you don't need that ends up costing you more than it would to go out and buy the laptop!

And the next day there are 40 or 50 new emails in your inbox offering things that they claim that YOU asked about!

In summary, with a little research you can find worthwhile free items on the Internet. Using common sense you can avoid most of the problems. Ask yourself, what's in this for the seller? How can he give it to me for free? And remember, that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably IS too good to be true. Even a fish wouldn't get caught if he looked, and avoided worms that had a line going from them up to the surface!

Otherwise, use caution and enjoy the many GOOD freebies that are out there!

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